Autopsy: Ahmaud Arbery was shot twice in the chest, grazed on wrist during 'struggle for shotgun'

Nicquel Terry Ellis USA TODAY

Tuesday

May 12, 2020 at 11:47 AM

ATLANTA — An autopsy for Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old black man who was killed while jogging in a south Georgia neighborhood, was shot twice in the chest with a third bullet grazing his right wrist, according to an autopsy report released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The report, obtained by USA TODAY, says Arbery sustained the gunshot wounds "during a struggle for the shotgun."

The autopsy appears to match up with the viral video of the February shooting, which shows two people tussling over a shotgun as three gunshots go off.

The release of the autopsy comes as Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr requested multiple agencies to look into the conduct of the southern Georgia district attorneys who failed to make arrests in the Feb. 23 shooting near Brunswick, Georgia.

Carr announced Tuesday that he was requesting the GBI to investigate Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson and Waycross District Attorney George Barnhill.

Both Johnson and Barnhill recused themselves from the case, citing conflicts of interest.

“When a district attorney is unable to take on a case due to a conflict, our office must appoint another prosecutor to handle the case,” Carr said in a statement. “Unfortunately, many questions and concerns have arisen regarding, among other things, the communications between and actions taken by the District Attorneys of the Brunswick and Waycross Circuits. As a result, we have requested the GBI to review in order to determine whether the process was undermined in any way.”

Carr has also asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into the conduct of Johnson and Barnhill.

DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said Monday the agency is considering Carr's request and "assessing all of the evidence to determine whether federal hate crimes charges are appropriate."

Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault May 7 after public outcry from the release of a video of the shooting. Gregory McMichael told police he and his son thought Arbery matched a burglary suspect, so they got in their truck with shotguns and chased him down a residential street.

The arrests didn't come until the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced it was aiding in the probe.

William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who recorded the video, is also being investigated, authorities say.

Carr said Monday that Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden, the lead prosecutor since April 13, would be stepping down from the case. He appointed Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes to replace Durden.

Holmes said she plans to present the case to a Glynn County grand jury for indictment.

Georgia's courts are largely closed through June 12 due to the coronavirus, but Holmes said "her team will work as expeditiously as possible to move the case forward."